1. Field of the Invention
An apparatus consistent with the present invention relates to a compressor, and more particularly, to a compressor having an improved structure of a valve apparatus opening/closing an outlet through which gas compressed in a compression chamber is discharged.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a compressor includes a casing, a driving part accommodated in a casing for generating a driving force, a compression part provided with an inlet inhaling and compressing gas by the driving part and an outlet discharging the compressed gas, and a valve apparatus that opens and closes the inlet and the outlet of the compression part. Also, the compressor is commonly installed in an air conditioner or refrigerator and functions to compress coolant.
The compressor is either a rotary compressor, a linear compressor, a reciprocating compressor, or a wobble plate compressor according to a driving method or a shape of the compression part.
The valve apparatus is provided in the inlets and outlets to release or block the gas entering and exiting the compression chamber.
Hereinbelow, a rotary type compressor will be described.
FIGS. 1, and 2 are cross-sectional and longitudinal section views of a conventional rotary compressor, respectively. As shown therein, a conventional compressor 101 comprises a casing 103 forming a closed space, a compression part 120 accommodated in the casing 103 for compressing coolant, and a driving motor 110 supplying a driving force to the compression part 120.
A coolant supplying tube 107 supplying the coolant to the compression part 120 is installed on an outside of the casing 103. Also, a coolant discharging tube 108 discharging the coolant compressed in the compression part 120 to outside of the casing 103 is installed on a top area of the casing 103, and an oil accommodating part 109 accommodating oil supplied for lubricating and cooling of driving components is formed on a bottom area of the casing 103.
The compression part 120 comprises a cylinder 121 of a cylindrical shape forming a compression space, a roller 127 contacting rollably an inner surface of the cylinder 121, and a vane 129 protruding from the inner surface of the cylinder 121 retractably and comprising a protruding end contacting an outer surface of the roller 127 to partition an inner space of a compression chamber 123 into a compressing space and an inhaling space.
A top flange 131 and a bottom flange 133 blocking opened areas to form the compression chamber 123 compressing the coolant are installed on opened top and bottom ends, respectively. An inlet 137 inhaling the coolant and the outlet 139 are formed on the inner surface of the cylinder 121. A valve apparatus 140 is provided on a top side of the top flange 131 to open/close the outlet 139.
The driving motor 110 comprises a stator 111 installed on the inner wall of the casing 103, and a rotator 113 of a cylindrical shape inserted into the stator 111 rotatably. A central area of the rotator 113 is inserted with a rotation shaft 115 capable of rotating with the rotator 113 as one body.
The rotation shaft 115 passes the compression part 120, and extends down to the oil accommodating part 109. A bottom area of the rotation shaft 115 is coupled with the roller 127 eccentrically so that the roller 127 can be rotating whiling contacting the inner surface of the cylinder 121 rollably.
The valve apparatus 140 comprises a reed valve 141 opening/closing the outlet 139, and a stopper 145 limiting elastic deformation of the reed valve 141.
The reed valve 141 comprises a valve body 142 provided in a plate shape, and a screw 143 coupling the valve body 142 to the top flange 131. The valve body 142 is provided with an elastic metal material in a plate shape. A first part of the valve body 142 closes the outlet 139, while a second part thereof is coupled to the top flange 131 with the screw 143. In other words, the valve body 142 is centered in place at the screw 143, while the first part of the valve body 142 is deformed by the compressed coolant discharged toward the outlet 139 so that the outlet 139 can be opened.
The stopper 145 is coupled by the second part of the valve body 142 and the screw 143 in a bent form to prevent excessive deformity of the valve body 142.
Accordingly, the conventional compressor 101 can compress the coolant as the roller 127 rotates in the cylinder 121 by the driving motor 10. The coolant compressed in this way can be discharged to the coolant discharging tube 108 through the outlet 139 as it deforms the valve body 142.
However, one of the disadvantages in the conventional compressor is that stress is excessively focused on the second part of the valve body as the valve body repeatedly deforms while being centered at the screw, which shortens a life cycle of the compressor.
Also, it is disadvantageous that there exists an uncompressible area, such as the outlet in the conventional compressor, which lowers compression efficiency.
Accordingly, an additional member, such as the stopper, is required to limit excessive deformity of the valve body by the compressed coolant in the conventional compressor valve.